13 reasons why I love races… Get ready for a million pictures.

We were over at my parents’ house last night and my dad just so happened to bring home take-out while we were there. Sweet and sour chicken and orange chicken—> the best Chinese food dishes in my opinion.

After dinner I tried broccolini for the first time ever. My sweet friend added some coconut oil and Lowry’s seasoning to it before baking it and it was bomb.

My Friday Favorite this week—> THESE bracelets… I just want a million of them.

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I started running when I was 12 years old with my sister and continued to run a bit through high school and college but we are talking maybe 1-2 times a week. I thought running was fun but I was much more into spin, the elliptical, tennis and pump classes during those years. It wasn’t until I signed up for my first marathon (in 2010 ) that I really got into running. I started running 4-6 times a week while training for my first marathon and have continued to do so since then (unless I am injured). That first marathon is when I fell in love (well, a weird love/pain relationship;) with running.

Races are huge motivators for me. They are a big reason why I run. I love having a training plan. Races give me a goal, something to work towards and the feeling of accomplishment. I love the confidence that I get from the hard workouts and races. Training for races is one of the things that really helps to get me out of bed in the morning to run.

Because I have a race tomorrow I thought I’d tell you guys some of the reasons why I love to race and I would LOVE to hear your reasons too!

1. I love race expos. You get to walk around a huge area full of all things running. The energy at a race expo is incredible and they always pump me up for the next morning.

2. Those magic races where everything goes as planned—> that feeling. Love.

3. A lot of times I run into friends that I haven’t seen for a while in the finish line area. We get the chance to catch up on life, give each other big sweaty hugs and talk a million miles a minute about how the race went.

4. That feeling of giving your all. I don’t know why I love it so much but I love just sitting on the grass after finishing a race and feeling completely exhausted.

5. I usually buy something new (like a pair of shorts or tank) to wear on race day (well, I wear it a few times before the actually race to make sure it works well). I have a small addiction to running clothes and a race is a great reason to buy something new right?

6. Races are the best way to see an area. Nothing like exploring a new city than by running through it.

Boston, I love you dearly.

7. The treats/food at the finish line. You knew I was going to say that one.

8. I get to unleash my competitive side a bit. If I don’t race often enough then my competitive side comes out during board games with friends and family and that just isn’t pretty.

9. Races just simplify running a bit. They take care of my hydration and a lot of times my nutrition (free GUs….). They have a perfectly planned out route that is closed to traffic and crowds along the way to give me a boost of energy just when I need it. I just have to run, they take care of the rest.

10. Seeing your loved ones along the way or at the finish line. Races bring out all sorts of emotions in me (especially during the marathon) and I usually cry whenever I see my family/close friends because of that whole gratitude thing:)

11. I get to be surrounded by a bunch of other people that are just as obsessed as I am with running. We just all get each other.

12. Races stretch me. They test me. They make me get out of that comfort zone and help me to grow. I learn something new about myself during each and every race. During races we get to prove to ourselves that we can do hard things:)

13. Races inspire me. Seeing all of the other runners out there (no matter what pace they are going) and knowing they all have their stories of how they got there—> that inspires me. Crossing the finish line of one race inspires me to choose a new goal and work even harder towards it.

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What do you love about races?

Do you like Chinese food? Favorite dishes?

Are there any vegetables that you have never tried before?

Type of salad dressing that you use most often… any Trader Joe’s favorites?

I was just thinking earlier this week how much I don’t really love races. I love training for races, being focused on a goal, seeing improvements and so on, but races can be full of pressure (and I’m not really an early bird). This post reminded me of all the reasons why races are so fun though. I honestly had kind of forgotten since I haven’t raced since February!

I hope you have an awesome race this weekend. Looking forward to reading the recap :)

I’ve never had artichoke before. I don’t even know where to begin on trying to prepare it myself either. I also really want to try ramps.

I love races because they allow me to travel frequently. I’m working on all 50 states and so far have been to 25 of them just for races. I’ve been to places that I probably wouldn’t have normally picked to just go visit. I love it! I also love that feeling of crossing the finish line. Pain, joy, euphoria all in one. It’s the best!

Seeing people running for charities which are close to their hearts always gets me. People have the name of the person in whose memory they’re running, and it makes me want to cry. There’s a great feeling of solidarity in races!!!

Now you have me wanting Chinese food!! I always get sesame chicken and lots of rice and broccoli! Yummmm. I love races because of all of the reasons you mentioned, but mostly because it is the event where you get to put all of your hard work to the test and it feels like a celebration that makes all of those tough workouts worth it!!

Diane

I enjoy running races for the crowds, sights on the courses and being with the runners. I am also running the Timpanogos Half tomorrow! I like traveling a little for races too. Running somewhere new is so fun!
For salad dressing, I like flavor infused olive oils and balsamic vinegar.

I love the comradery of races, everyone is your friend.
Sweet and Sour chicken is my all time favorite!
I have never tried brussell sprouts – Probably because my Mom always burned them and I just couldn’t get past that smell.
Good Luck Tomorrow!! Have a GREAT race :-)

Oh I just love this post! I raced last weekend in Newfoundland where I’m from (I live in Nova Scotia away from family) :( Anyway, it was totally amazing for me to have them as support along the way and to be greeted by them at the finish. I wish it could happen more often but because it’s so rare it makes that particular annual race awesome!

Races are the best! Like you, I love the feeling of working towards something and having a training plan to follow. What I like about races is that they’re basically a huge celebration- people run for so many different reasons and have different goals but we all come together at the same time to run our victory laps of our training plans. It’s a great way to spend a morning and meet some people that are just as crazy as us!!

-I love seeing my support crew at the finish line. My husband and daughter make finishing that much more special. At my first 5k (2 yrs ago) when I saw my then 3 yo cheering for me, I started to cry. I feel like running has made a difference in my life and is teacher her something as well :)

I love racing too. It gives me something to work for and I love to see how much I can improve. I also love racing because most of my races are trails or routes I haven’t run before or at least not very often and its fun to find a new route. Plus I’m pretty competitive and racing lets me have a place to be that way.

Rachel P

13. Races inspire me. I loved running the Susan G. Komen 5k in Old Salem, NC in honor of my mom being a breast cancer survivor! One moment that will never cease to inspire me was seeing a man sitting on his front lawn with his wife’s race shirts, running shoes, and pink cap. I still tear up thinking about him and the gratitude in my heart for still having my mom. Races inspire me to take care of myself and to help others around me do the same!

Tiffany

One of the main reasons I signed up for my last 5k was because it took place on/around a blueberry farm, and they had blueberry pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup waiting for us at the finish. Mmm.

I think I’ve been running so long that races don’t excite me anymore. :( It’s sad! I remember the feeling though, the energy, the rush. I totally get it. Your competitive point made me laugh. I’ve been known to straight-arm a board game or two and yell, “THERE! NOBODY WINS!” and then stomp off. Heh heh heh…

I love races because no matter if you ran a PR or it was a tough race, there is success and so much to be proud of! I agree that races also give me a sense of direction and purpose as I work towards my goal. I love all your reasons and totally agree!
I like cashew chicken and sesame chicken!
I picked up Olive Garden dressing and have been loving it. I really love making my own salad dressing! I have a great recipe for a balsamic vinaigrette!
Good luck tomorrow at your race :-)

My favorite thing about races is the crowds cheering and the fun t-shirts/posters you get to read from fellow runners and spectators! I always stick to the same old ranch dressing, I know I’m boring. This post made me really excited for my marathon in 10 weeks, thank you!

I love the energy and excitement of all the people getting together to do something amazing. I never think of it as a “race” per se. I think of it more as we’re all running together for a great cause and to inspire others.

I love races for the energy and the crowd mentality – I love how runners are so supportive of each other! That TJ’s dressing looks fantastic – thanks for the tip! I always buy the Girard’s vesion but I bet TJ’s is even better.

I’ve been hooked on TJ’s greek feta dressing…for about 4 years…ya. This week though, I actually branched out and tried a new one! A homemade one! And it was lovely and fabulous and made me look forward to lunchtime. I’ll be making it A LOT now! SO easy too:
1/2 c evoo
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. acv
2 tbsp. mustard (i used dijon)
and no, I didn’t create this recipe, I found it somewhere online, haha

good list. you covered most if not all of mine. I not only get to go to the expo, I get to work the expo (for ProCo). Love love seeing all the people and talking “shop”. I also like the “racecation” aspect for me and my family, especially to new places. And lastly, da bling! Have a great weekend J!

I love races so much!! The people (everyone is so encouraging and nice), the feeling that you accomplished something big, the rush of finishing strong. I love it all.
Chinese: don’t eat very often, but the fried rice is really tasty!
I love balsamic vinegar and oil best for salads.
Have an awesome weekend!!

Jess

What do you love about races? Feeling like all the hard work leading up to the race was worth it (kinda like performing in a concert is worth all the practice.)

Do you like Chinese food? Favorite dishes? Sometimes! Fried rice is my favorite, just by itself. And those duck sauce packets. I did fortune cookies in them. (Is that normal?)

Are there any vegetables that you have never tried before? Hmm. Not that I can think of!

Type of salad dressing that you use most often… any Trader Joe’s favorites? Ranch. Or the House Dressing at a local Mexican place, which is kind of like ranch with taco seasoning in it. I’ve never been to a Trader Joes!

Jess

I love the game day feel. I played football for a long time and race day helps me with my competitive juices.
I strongly believe that exploring a city while running is the best way to discover things. I moved to a new city and I know a lot about it already from random terms.
I love Chinese food. I am happy that after a month living in a new place I have found a solid Chinese food place.

I love races for the motivation it gives me. I set a goal to run 20 races by my 25th birthday and at the time I wasn’t running at all anymore. But since I’ve set that goal I’ve done 4 of my races (The 5th is tomorrow!) and I’m back to running 3-5 times a week and I’m training for my first half marathon:)

I also love the expos – I don’t ever want to leave (especially disney marathon weekend)! I like to travel to races because I also feel it is a great way to see a city and it makes it fun – getting to know a new place and completing a race – I love tying it into a vacation. Love, love, love the bling – I’m not really sure why – maybe because after you look at all the medals and know you finished all those races which is pretty awesome :)

I love races too! I also love that feeling after the finish line that you know you gave it all out. It’s amazing. I really like getting cool race swag. One of my most favourite parts is the community I love meeting other runners!

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